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Care to take a guided tour into the future of lab management? Want to network face-to-face with colleagues from around the world? Do you crave Cajun food, Dixieland jazz, and that naughty-but-nice experience known as Bourbon Street?
If all this appeals, book a room now at the Sheraton New Orleans for the 16th annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management, slated for May 3 and 4.
With more than 80 sessions this year, the College's agenda--and its reputation--are expanding. "We are on track to have more than 650 people from as many as 10 countries around the world," conference organizer Robert Michel, editor-in-chief of the Dark Report, based in Spicewood, TX, tells ADVANCE. "Not many conferences focus on best practices in lab operations. It makes the Executive War College distinctive in the calendar of events in the lab world."
This edition of the College will focus on what Michel calls the "Holy Trinity" of healthcare reform legislation: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medical Homes and value-based contracting.
"ACOs, Medical Homes and value-based purchasing will directly touch every lab in the United States in the next 24 to 36 months," he says. "It's always good to hear from informed experts to help you frame the kind of strategies your lab will want to deploy to remain a clinically useful contributor."
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Marc Grodman, MD, CEO of Bio-References Laboratories Inc., addresses the 2010 Executive War College.
PHOTO/COURTESY Robert Michel |
'First Movers, Early Adopters'
Beginning in January 2012, CMS will begin to contract with ACOs. Among those preparing attendees for what lies ahead will be Tom Williams, MD, PhD, executive director of Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA), of Oakland, CA.
"IHA is one of the primary administrators of California's $100 million-per-year physician pay-for-performance system," Michel says. "IHA just published a white paper on California's 30-year experience with ACOs."
James M. Crawford, MD, PhD, MBA, will discuss the role of Medical Homes in advancing integrated patient care. As chairman of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Crawford is "an insider" who is leading the Medical Homes program at the nation's largest urban health system, Michel says.
And Rick Panning, MBA, vice president of Laboratory Services for Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis, will explain how labs can use informatics and regeneration to better serve Medical Homes and ACOs.
"That's what sets the Executive War College apart: We have people doing these things ahead of the curve, the first movers and early adopters," Michel says. "These are people who can give the benefit of their experience, people who can say, 'This is what we are doing, what we are learning about what works and what doesn't.'"
Human Genome Sequencing
Addressing value-based contracting in the ACO/Medical Home environment will be a first-time War College participant, George Lundberg, MD, whom Michel calls the "father" of critical value-testing systems.
"He's long been a very prominent individual in the pathology field," Michel says of Lundberg, who also edited the Journal of the American Medical Association for 20 years and now serves as editor-in-chief of Cancer Commons. "He's got a very informed perspective and he's quite an opinionated fellow."
On the clinical side, Mark Boguski, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, will describe how pathologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are using whole human genome sequencing to diagnose and treat various cancers.
"There are three billion base pairs of DNA in a human genome sequence," Michel marvels. "To my knowledge, these pathologists are the first with a formal research program that generates the whole human genome sequence on a patient's tumor then deciphers it to more accurately diagnose and select the correct treatment."
Jazz Fest Weekends
As for the recreational agenda, New Orleans never lacks for options. This year, the Executive War College falls between two jazz fest weekends, so attendees who come early or stay late can add a concert or two to their trip.
"The hotel is located right next to the French Quarter, so it's easy to walk across the street and try some of the finest restaurants in the United States," Michel says. "The city's cuisine is very distinctive with its Cajun influence. Restaurants here have menus and dishes you can't find outside of Louisiana."
In short, this latest installment of the Executive War College should again demonstrate its value as a hub of learning and professional enrichment.
"People from as far away as New Zealand attend and some come back every year," Michel says. "It's a very good event for any lab management professional interested in best practices in lab operations and management and wanting to build a useful network of colleagues and do it in a very rich learning experience."
Michael Gibbons is an editor at ADVANCE.
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